seasonal peas and beans

*While my mints are lush again on my balcony,
Fresh green vegetables are appealing at shop

while my mints are lush again on my balcony, 

fresh green vegetables are appealing at shops,

so i cooked them with a twist, which were lemon and garlic.

they make my dish feel truly springy.

garden peas can make me happy.

especially tiny jade-like peas and beans like these.

 

i missed the broad bean season last spring, since it is usually very short.

ii’d been watching out.

and at last, i got a bag of them from my local super market.

how would i like them, then?

let’s do it straight, this time i thought, for lunch.

a simple way to enjoy the seasonal taste,

which may mean cooked beans on toast.

voilà!

a bite for a moment of bliss. 

by the way, what is a pea and what is a bean, can you tell?

that was my long-unsolved botanical question,

as they are the same term "まめ" used in our language.

but now i know the difference between them and feel appreciative of the net.

have a great easter weekend, everyone!

*
*

a weekend in pink

*

strawberries has been sold since december, but they are in real season now.

so, i made an english summer pudding with lots of them.

meanwhile, even after the disaster and despite the nuclear crisis,

cherry blossoms are in full bloom everywhere.

no japanese could get by without cherry blossoms in spring,

no matter what adversity one has.

people go on a picnic having lunch under a cherry tree.

maybe, some bread with strawberry cream cheese would be lovely for me.

and, philadelphia daisies look sweet in april, too.

i adore this kind of rustic cuteness.

i am having a pink-coloured sunday.

enjoy the sunday, everyone!
*

*

yellow blossoms

*

in a time of the happy yellow mimosa, i take a walk in the park feeling joyful.

even though the crisis is not over yet,

i’ve been deeply moved and inspired by the fact that the world is continuing to come together.

i feel so wonderful to see the world as one.

i can never thank you enough for your genuine ongoing aid to my country!

meanwhile, my neighbourhood cherry blossom festival has been canceled.

it does happen to anybody in japan at the moment.

voluntarily, the whole nation has got into the anti-celebrating mood.

we have refrained from anything rollicking at all.

considering the victims and the situation, we should stick to it, of course.

but, the thing is,
when will be the right time for us to stop that?

nobody knows it or dares to tell it.

*
*

calamity

*

we knew it.

we all knew that it definitely would come,

but no one knew when or where.

or, everyone could’ve blindly believed that it should not be “today” or “tomorrow”.

at last a devastating earthquake came on friday,

and a even more devastating tsunami followed.

watching live tv-news, 

i was associating a seaside town being struck by the great tsunami with,

not hokusai's woodblock print, but, to my surprise, venezia.

it was strangely slow, surreal, something like what happened in my dream.

anyway, another big quake could come any time, any place in japan.

we all japanese are still stunned by the unspeakable calamity.

we are grieving over the loss of every single family in the quake-hit zone

and realizing how great the hardship can be for us to endure.

i am truly grateful for all your compassion and help.

we are toughing it out,
we are good at overcoming adversities indeed.

you bet we will rebuild our country even better.

xxx

*
*

happy valentine

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sorry, everyone, for my long absence.

i'm still here.

have a romantic valentine's day!

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